No Rewards for Goodness, No Punishments for Evil? Taoism’s Concept of "Chengfu" Offers a Different Answer

The age-old saying, "Goodness begets good rewards, and evil begets evil retribution; it is not that there is no retribution, but that the time has not yet come" succinctly captures the public’s simple understanding of the law of cause and effect. Within diverse religious ethics, "being kind to others" has always been a shared foundational value—people firmly believe that good intentions and deeds will eventually bring gifts from fate. However, reality is often complex and unpredictable: those who uphold morality may live in poverty and hardship, while wrongdoers may instead enjoy wealth, honor, and longevity. The lament voiced by Dou E in Guan Hanqing’s The Injustice to Dou E—"The good suffer poverty and die young; the evil enjoy wealth and live long"—is a profound condemnation of this misalignment between good/evil and their consequences. When the simplistic theory of individual karma fails to explain real-world dilemmas, Taoism’s concept of "Chengfu" (承负) provides a unique perspective for understanding the laws governing life and society.

Taoism’s concept of Chengfu originated from the Taiping Jing (《太平经》, Scripture of Great Peace). Its core essence lies in transcending the limitations of an individual’s lifespan, expanding the scope of karmic retribution to include the temporal cycles of families, societies, and even the universe. Unlike Buddhism’s individualistic view of karma—"If a father commits evil, his son does not bear the consequences; if a son commits evil, his father does not bear the consequences"—the Chengfu theory emphasizes intergenerational relevance: "The actions of predecessors are borne by descendants; the fruits of the present age are owed to ancestors".

The Taiping Jing offers an exquisite interpretation of Chengfu: "‘Cheng’ (承) refers to the past, and ‘Fu’ (负) refers to the future. ‘Cheng’ means that our ancestors originally acted in accordance with the will of Heaven, but they were unaware of their minor transgressions. Over time, these small faults accumulated into many. As a result, later generations are innocently burdened with their transgressions and continuously afflicted by their misfortunes. ‘Fu’ means that ancestors are indebted to later generations". This passage clearly reveals the dual connotation of Chengfu: it not only refers to descendants inheriting the residual effects of their ancestors’ good and evil deeds but also includes the responsibility that ancestors’ actions impose on their descendants. This ethical logic—"Predecessors plant trees, so descendants enjoy the shade; predecessors stir up trouble, so descendants suffer the consequences"—is a profound elaboration of the ancient maxim from the Commentaries on the I Ching (《易经》): "A family that accumulates goodness will surely be blessed with abundant good fortune; a family that accumulates evil will surely be afflicted with abundant misfortune".

The fundamental difference between the Chengfu concept and simplistic karma lies in the holistic view of "the three realms of Heaven, Earth, and humanity coexisting in unity" that it constructs. Karma focuses on the karmic cycle of an individual’s "three lifetimes" (past, present, future), while the Chengfu theory places individual actions within a broader network of nature and society. It holds that "an individual’s good or evil actions affect not only themselves but also the harmony of their family, society, and even the universe".

A passage in the Taiping Jing—"The three realms (Heaven, Earth, humanity) coexist and nurture all things, which are called ‘resources.’ Resources give rise to desires; desires give rise to wickedness; wickedness gives rise to treachery; treachery gives rise to cunning; cunning gives rise to harm. If this cycle does not stop, chaos and ruin will follow. If ruin persists unchecked, order can never be restored. Thus, we must trace back to the root cause—and this is why it is called ‘Chengfu’"—reveals how individual actions trigger systemic impacts through layers of transmission. Such impacts are like ripples from a stone thrown into a lake: they continue to spread to the surrounding environment and others, eventually forming a "butterfly effect" of "Heaven’s Chengfu"—predecessors do good, so the present generation receives blessings; the present generation does evil, so descendants suffer misfortunes.

Within the framework of the Chengfu theory, the paradox of "no rewards for goodness, no punishments for evil" in reality is reasonably explained. Those who do good throughout their lives but repeatedly suffer hardship may be bearing the accumulated residual misfortunes of their ancestors; while those who commit numerous evils but temporarily prosper may be enjoying the blessings accumulated by their forefathers. The Chisongzi Zhongjie Jing (《赤松子中诫经》, The Middle Admonition Scripture of Master Red Pine) provides a more specific explanation: "When their allotted lifespan ends prematurely, their misfortunes will extend to future generations. The lingering misfortunes of descendants will not cease until the entire family is destroyed".

This indicates that karmic retribution for good and evil does not disappear—it is merely passed down through generations with the family as the carrier. Just as the logic of material inheritance dictates that descendants enjoy the wealth accumulated by their ancestors or repay the debts owed by their ancestors, the "debts" of morality and fate also flow across generations. This transmission is not a simple equivalence of good and evil but achieves dynamic balance through the meticulous calculation of the "Gods Who Oversee Transgressions" (司过之神). The Taishang Ganying Pian (《太上感应篇》, The Treatise on the Response of Heaven) records: "Heaven and Earth have gods who oversee transgressions. They deduct years from a person’s lifespan based on the severity of their offenses—major evils deduct a ‘ji’ (纪，12 years), while minor evils deduct a ‘suan’ (算，100 days)". It even explicitly states the quantitative standard for good deeds: "To become an Earth Immortal, one must perform 300 good deeds; to become a Heavenly Immortal, one must perform 1,200 good deeds"—a clear reflection of Taoism’s emphasis on the accumulation of good and evil.

The Chengfu concept is not an excuse for fatalism; instead, it contains a proactive path of cultivation and redemption. The Taiping Jing emphasizes: "To resolve the responsibility of Chengfu, there is no better way than ‘shouyi’ (守一，upholding unity)"—believing that by adhering to the correct path and accumulating merits and virtues, one can both atone for the transgressions of ancestors and accumulate blessings for descendants. This practice is concretely manifested in Taoism’s "Gongguo Ge" (功过格，Merit and Demerit Record) culture. The preface to the Taiwei Xianjun Gongguo Ge (《太微仙君功过格》, The Merit and Demerit Record of Immortal Lord Taiwei) states: "A cultivator of truth shall clearly record their merits and demerits day and night. They shall review their records monthly and conduct a comprehensive assessment annually to know the extent of their merits and demerits". It quantifies daily good and evil actions, and through specific guidelines—"36 articles on merit-making and 39 articles on demerit-avoidance"—guides believers to accumulate good deeds in areas such as relief work, scriptural study, ritual practice, and daily conduct, while avoiding transgressions like unkindness, immorality, injustice, and misconduct. This method of "self-recording good and evil" is a crucial path for the Chengfu concept to move from theory to practice, transforming the moral ideal of "refrain from all evil, practice all good" into actionable daily behavior.

Taoism’s Chengfu concept holds profound practical significance for the construction of social ethics. It closely links individual moral responsibility with family destiny and social harmony, enabling everyone to clearly recognize the long-term impact of their actions. When people realize the potential consequences of "the present generation doing evil, so descendants suffer" and the historical inheritance of "predecessors doing good, so the present generation receives blessings", they will naturally act with greater caution and responsibility. The teaching from the Taishang Ganying Pian—"Blessings and misfortunes have no fixed source; they are all brought upon oneself by one’s actions. The retribution for good and evil follows like a shadow"—jointly constructs a moral constraint mechanism: "Accumulating good deeds leads to prolonged life, while committing transgressions and evil leads to shortened lifespan". This constraint is not externally imposed; instead, through vivid descriptions of retribution such as "the stars above one’s head lose their light, so the person faces hardships and troubles" and "the starlight fades, so the person falls seriously ill", it internalizes moral responsibility into the individual’s conscious pursuit.

From a broader cultural perspective, the Chengfu concept integrates Taoism’s "Dao follows nature" (道法自然) and Confucian family ethics, forming a unique outlook on life and society. Unlike simplistic karma, which is limited to individual liberation, and beyond the shortsighted pursuit of immediate interests in secular ethics, it constructs a practical path of "cultivating oneself and governing the family" (修身齐家) within the grand vision of "the cycle of Heaven and Earth". The Tang Dynasty Taoist Du Guangting mentioned in the Daomen Kefan Daquanji (《道门科范大全集》, Comprehensive Collection of Taoist Ritual Norms) that immortal spirits "keep two books of good and evil, and maintain two registers of merits and demerits", while the "Southern Pole Registrar" (南极司录) "holds the texts of good fortune, misfortune, blessings, and calamities, and judges the lifespan and destiny of all beings". This sacred interpretation of karmic retribution essentially aims to strengthen the authority of moral constraints.

In contemporary society, the Chengfu concept still possesses great vitality. When we face global issues such as environmental pollution and resource depletion, the warning of "the present generation doing evil, so descendants suffer" becomes increasingly clear—the excessive exploitation of nature by modern humans is essentially "borrowing" from future generations, and this will eventually rebound on humanity itself through "ecological Chengfu". At the social level, the idea of "a family that accumulates goodness will surely be blessed" encourages people to integrate individual moral practice with family building and social progress. From ancient figures like Fan Zhongyan and Su Xun, who used ledgers to record their merits and demerits for self-discipline, to modern people’s practice of public welfare, charity, and family tradition cultivation—all continue the core logic of the Chengfu concept: "individual actions shape collective destiny". This ethical wisdom, which unifies individual values with long-term development, provides profound cultural support for building a harmonious society.

Looking back at the timeless tragedy of The Injustice to Dou E, Dou E’s wrongful suffering seems to be a typical case of "no rewards for goodness", but in fact, it can be reinterpreted from the perspective of Chengfu—her suffering may have been the "Fu" (debt) of her family’s past, while the eventual vindication of her struggle and innocence was undoubtedly the "Qing" (blessing) she accumulated for future generations. The essence of Taoism’s Chengfu concept lies in making us understand: karmic retribution for good and evil is never a simple transaction that is immediately fulfilled, but a life force that accumulates and transmits continuously across time and space. It not only explains the injustice and confusion in reality but also endows everyone with the responsibility and hope to change their destiny and benefit future generations.

"Heaven is impartial; it always favors the good" (天道无亲，常与善人). With its grand vision that transcends the individual, Taoism’s Chengfu concept elevates the moral requirement of "being kind to others" to a sense of responsibility for "planning for descendants and striving for society". In this era of intertwined good and evil and numerous interests, rediscovering the wisdom of Chengfu can not only resolve our confusion about real-world injustice but also inspire inner moral consciousness, promoting the formation of a social atmosphere of "refrain from all evil, practice all good". When every individual recognizes the profound connection between their actions and their family, society, and even the universe, they will be cautious in their words and deeds, accumulate good deeds, and ultimately achieve a positive cycle of personal cultivation and social harmony. This is the precious spiritual legacy that Taoism’s Chengfu concept has left for us.